1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for mounting equipment in a public building or the like, and, more particularly, to an equipment security apparatus for securing equipment from theft.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic devices, such as projectors, are often used in public buildings for communicating information to the building's users. Such electronic devices typically include a power cord, control buttons and signal input/output connections, which are usually located around the outside surface of the devices. The control buttons control the performance and other aspects of the devices, while the power cord and signal input/output connections provide for interconnection of the devices with a source of power, a signal source, and with other electronic devices. Being valuable and relatively portable, such devices are often a target for theft. Accordingly, equipment owners wish to secure these electronic devices from theft.
Over the years, a variety of mounting devices have been developed to mount and secure electronic devices. One commercially available mounting device provides a cage into which a projector can be placed. The cage has a small opening on one side through which the images from the projector are projected. The cage, however, tends to unduly limit access to the various control buttons and signal input/output connections located on the projector's outside surface. In addition, the cage tends to reduce the ability of the projector to eliminate the heat generated during operation of the projector. The size of the cage also limits the size of the projector that can be secured.
Another commercially available mounting device includes a base unit that connects the projector to a ceiling or other surface. The base unit employs a mounting adapter secured by screws to the various internally threaded mounting holes on the projector. The base unit is also capable of independent pitch, roll, and yaw adjustments. These adjustments are made by loosening several mechanical fasteners, repositioning the base unit, and then tightening the fasteners. This base unit style mounting device is not convenient for several reasons. For example, due to the wide variety of electronic devices used and the numerous manufacturers thereof, the location of the mounting holes of each projector is different from one projector to the next. This requires the production of a multitude of different mounting adapters to fit the hole pattern of each different projector. In addition, the separate adjustment of pitch, roll, and yaw is tedious and difficult because the projector must be held in place while many fasteners are tightened. As a result, the pitch, roll, and yaw adjustment of the projector usually requires two people.
Other mounting devices that are commercially available employ simple mechanical fasteners that connect the electronic device to the mounting apparatus. These fasteners deter theft to some degree because they are designed to be removed only by special tools. However, because these fasteners are accessible to a would-be thief, they still can be removed relatively easily by an experienced thief.
Accordingly, there is a need for an equipment security apparatus that provides greater security for equipment, such as an electronic device, without severely limiting access thereto, and which allows the user to easily orient the equipment. In addition, there is a need for an equipment security apparatus that is versatile in that it can be used with many different types of equipment and different electronic devices without requiring different mounting adapters. The present invention satisfies these and other needs and provides further related advantages.